Events and news from Aix-en-Provence

Meeting Good King René’s Mum

Rubbing shoulders with royalty last evening…but actually to find out more about Queen Yolande, the subject of a book and talk by HRH Princess Michael of Kent.

Born in 1380 to the king of Aragon, Yolande was married to the Louis II of the house of Anjou, and ruler of Provence, for political expediency; but it was a loving union, which produced 5 children, including Aix’s favourite monarch Good King René. The marriage was also a springboard for Yolande’s involvement in the military and diplomatic campaigns of 15th century France.

The contemporary chronicler, Juvenal Ursins, described Yolande as “The prettiest woman in the kingdom.” Later, king Louis XI of France recalled that his grandmother had “A man’s heart in a woman’s body.”

Queen Yolande, King René’s fascinating mother

Princess Michael of Kent gave a fascinating and often funny talk about her book, the first in a trilogy on French history. With France in the grip of civil war, and at the same time fighting the English in the Hundred Years War, this is a complex era. But rather than being a dry recital of battles, she breathes life into these long-gone characters, detailing what they wore or what they ate – the author assured the audience that her book is factually correct but that she had to give her characters a voice, inventing dialogue and emotional insights.

There is a vogue for historical fiction – Philippa Gregory is a leading exponent. It may make the traditional academic historian wince, but, accurately written, this genre can illuminate characters from history and rescue them from being a mere two-dimensional figure frozen in a stained glass window.

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Aix-en-Provence The Inside Story

My new book tells the story of this fascinating town and introduces some of the characters who have lived here. With a focus on people rather than buildings, history is unravelled through anecdotes with lots of suggestions of what to see when you visit. Available from lulu.com - /aix-en-provence-the-inside-story